Acetylene-gas generator.



'. -fv may N VE N TOR 60mm/y,

ACETYLENE GAS GENEHATDR.

(No Model.)

YI/I// UNITED STATES' PATENT 'lOFFrca CARL E. COLOMY, OF ELKTON, VIRGINIA.

- vACETYLNE-GASGENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming peri-, of Letters `Patent No. 689,540, dated December 24, 1901.

Application filed August 7,1901. lSerial No. 71,232. (No model.)I

T0 all wwnt t may concern: t

Be it known thatI, CARL E. CoLoMY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkton, in the county of Rockingham, State of'Virginia, Ahave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbid-Feeds, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a carbid-feed, and is particularly adapted for application to gasgenerators and adapted to be controlled by the gasometer thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of feedingdevice for the carbid whereby it shall be f ed in separated quantities by a distributing-disk and retained beneath the water-level upon a traveling plate until the decomposition of the same has fully occurred in order to secure the maximum quantity of gas from the amount of carbid used.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide means governed by the gasometer for driving the feeding device in the downward movement of the dome of the gasometer and for discontinuing this feed during the -upward movement of said dome.

Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will hereinafter appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Y

The drawing represents a vertical section through the generator andthe gasometer for controlling the operation thereof.

Thegas-generator (shown at the left ofthe drawing) is composed of a water-tank A, provided With the usual draw-off cock A' and safety blow-olf or vent A2, and at the upper portion thereof a feed-chamber B is applied, above whichlthe carbid-magazine C is located. This feed-chamber communicates by means of a pipe B with the gasometer, as shown. Extending vertically through the carbid-magazine and feed-chamber is a driven shaft D, carrying at its lower portion a feed and distributing disk D' of any desired configuration-for instance, having a beveled or conical upper face, which has been found desirable. ported in any desired manner. For instance, as shown, a hanger C' is provided at the up- This shaft may be operatively sup.

per portion of the magazine C, anda set-col lar C2 upon the end of the shaft D supports the shaft from said hanger, while the feeddisk D', which distributes the carbid, is supported in any desired relation to the outlet C3 from the magazine C by means of a setcollar D2 or other preferred device. At the lower end of the shaft D a rotatingplate D3 .is applied, adapted to receive the carbid and retain the same beneath the water in the rotary movement of the plate. A stationary spreading-brush D4 is secured to a wall of the tank A and extends over said plate, so as to distribute and agitate the carbid thereon. This brush also rem'oves the ash from the periphery of the plate, which gradually accumulates at that point. It will be obvious that by an adjustment of the feeding and distributing disk D/ the amount of material to be fed can be governed according to the capacity of the generator, and the carbid falling upon this disk is scattered or distributed in small particles, so that when it reaches the water the most rapid decomposition occurs,

while the particles of carbid are retained upon the rotating table D3 until this action has been completed.

For the purpose of driving the shaft Dand imparting a rotary motion to both the distributing-disk and the retaining-plate D3 a 'driving-shaftE has been provided and mounted in a suitable packing E', carried by the 'feed-chamber B. This driving-shaft has at 'itsinner end agear E2, adapted to mesh with a ,corresponding gear E3, carried upon the shaft D, while the outer end of the shaft is provided with a driving-wheel E4-for instance, a sprocket-wheel, as shown. From this Wheel a belt or chain E5 is extended to a sprocket-wheel E, loosely mounted upon one end of a shaft F', supported above the dome,

` G of a gasometer G by means of standards G2, which guide the vertical movement of said dome. This shaft is provided with a pulley-wheel F2, over which a iexible connection F3 extends from the top of the dome,

and the connection F3 carries at the opposite end a counterbalancing-weight F4, as 4shown by dotted lines in the drawing. B extends into the lower portion of the watertank of the gasometer, as shown at G3, and is provided with the upwardly-extending dis- IOO The gas-pipe charge-pipe G4, as shown by dotted lines, so that the gas generated is delivered beneath the dome G' and raises the same.

The sprocket F h'as secured at one side thereof a pinion F5, which is loosely mounted upon the shaft F', so as to freely rotate thereon when the pawls F6 are disengaged from the teeth of said pinion. These pawls are pivoted at the opposite ends of an arm F7, which 'is secured lo the shaft F in any desired manner-for instance, by a set-collar Fg-and the innerends of the pawls are provided with levers F9, adapted to be moved by a sliding block H, loosely mounted upon the shaft F', whereby the movement ofsaid block toward the pinion causes an outward movement of the locking ends of the pawls F6, so as to leave the pinion free to rotate upon the shaft F' and discontinue the feeding action of the sprocket lf. The movement of this block II may be acquired in any desired manner-for instance, by means 0f a spring-arm H', secured to the tank of the gasometer Gat one end and at its upper end provided with a connecting-rod H2, extending to the block II. In order to impart an inward movement to the upper end of this spring-arm Il', a roller H3 is suitably mounted in a bracket H4, carried by the dome G', and the upward movement of this roller engagesanv outwardlybent portion l-I5 of the arm II', thereby causing an inward movement ofthe upper end of the arm and a shifting of the block II against the levers F9, carried by the pulleys FG.

The blow-off A2 comprises a tube extending from the top of the tank downward and open to the atmosphere at its upper end, while the lower end thereof is slitted, as at A3, to permit the escape of water upward through the tube and thedischarge A4 when the pressure of gas within the tank rises above a safe amount, and thus prevent explosion or other damage.

With the parts in the position shown in the drawing the dome is in its descending position and the pawls F6 are in clutch with the pinion F5, so as to drive the distributing-disk D and the holding-plate D3 through the Inedium of the driving-shaft E and the gearing connections therewith. The carbid coming in contact with the water immediately begins a rapid generation of gas, which causes an upward movement of the dome, and when the roller IIS, carried by the dome, reaches the deiected portion H5 of the spring-arm H' the rod H2 is shifted, so as to disconnect the pawls F6 from the pinion, and consequently stop the rotation of the feeding-disk and the consequent feed of carbid to the water beneath.

From the foregoing description of the 0peration it will be seen that the action of the several parts is entirely automatic in character and the carbid fed to the generator only at such times as the amount of gas within the gasometer has become reduced below the predetermined amount. The generator then-continues until the desired amount is contained within the gas'ometer, and the apparatus is thus adapted for continuous automatic operation in maintaining a predetermined pressure or amount of gas so long as the supply of carbid within the magazine exists.

It will be obvious Ythat changes may. be made in the details of construction and configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a carbid-feed, the combination with a feeding device embodying a feed-magazine and a rotating distributing-disk beneath the discharge-opening from the magazine, of a driving-shaft for said disk, a water-tank beneath said discharge-openin g, a gasorn'eter having a driving-shaftand pulley-wheel above the dome thereof, a flexible weighted connection extending from said dome over said pulley-wheel to actuate the latter, a drivingwheel and gear loosely mounted u'pon the gasometer driving-shaft, a clutch device carried by said shaft to engage said gear-wheel, a clutch-operating arm extending upward from one side of the gasometer-tank, and a contact member carried by a lateral bracket upon the gasometer-dome to engage and operate said arln to disconnect therclutch from said gear, substantially as specified.

2. In a carbid-feed, a Water-jtank,a feedchamber above the same and of less diameter than said tank, a carbid-magazine adapted to discharge into the upper portion of said Afeed-chamber, a vertical shaft mounted to extend centrally through said feed-chamber and into said water-tank, a rotating distributingdisk adjustably mounted on said shaft beneath the outlet from said carbid-magazine, a retaining-plate of greater diameter than said disk and carried by the lower portion of said shaft within said water-tank entirely beneath the opening from the feed-chamber and of greater diameter than said disk or opening, and means for driving said shaft disposed between the disk and plate; substantially as specified.

3. In a carbid-feed, a water-tank, a feedchamber above the same, a carbid-magazine adapted to discharge into the upper portion ot' said feed-chamber, a vertical shaft supported within said feed-chamber and extending into said water-tank, a rotatable distributing-disk adj ustably mounted on said shaft beneath the outlet from said carbid-magazine, a retaining-plate secured to the lower end of said shaft beneath the water in said tank, a fixed brush above the upper surface of said plate, and means for driving said shaft to rotate said disk and plate in unison; substantially as specified.

4. In a carbid-feed,- a water-tank, a feedchamber above the same, a carbid-magazine IOO IlO

adapted to discharge into the upper portion of said feed-chamber, a vertical shaft extending through said feed-chamber and into sa'id Water tank, a rotating distributing disk mounted on said shaft beneath the outlet from said carbid-magazine, a retaining-plate within said water-tank adapted to receive the carbid from said distributing-disk, a drivingshaft geared to rotate said disk and plate, a gasometer, a driving-shaft located above the dome thereof and actuated by the movement of said dome, a driving-wheel on said shaft above the gasometer having geared connection with the driving-shaft for the feeding device, a clutchr comprising a gear-Wheel and pawls to engage the same, a slidably-mounted block adapted to actuate said pawls to disengage them from said gear-Wheel, and means carried by the dome of the gasonleter for shifting said block to disconnect the pawls in the upward movement of the dome; substantially as specified.

5. In a carbid-feed, a water-tank, a feedchamber above the same, a carbid-magazine adapted to discharge into the upper portion of said feed-chamber, a vertical shaft extending through said feed-chamber and into said water tank, a rotating distributing disk mounted on said shaft beneath the outlet from said carbid-magazine, a retaining-plate within saidwater-tank adapted to receive the carbid from said distributing-disk, a drivingshaft geared to rotate said disk and plate, a gasometer, a driving-shaft located above the dome thereof and actuated by the movement of said dome, a driving-Wheel on said shaft above the gasometer having geared connection with the driving-shaft for the feeding device, a clutch comprising a gear-Wheel and pawls to engage the same, a slidably-mounted block adapted to actuate said pawls to disengage them from said gear-wheel, means carried by the dome of the gasometer for shifting said block to disconnect the pawls in the upward movement of the dome, a pulley- Wheel upon the driving-shaft above said dome, and a exible connection extending from the top of the dome over said pulley- Wheel and provided with a Weight at its opposite end; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CARL E. COLOMY.

Vitnesses:

EuGENE PETTY,

C. R. MoGoHEY. 

